Title - Northeast natives throng second special train to Bangalore

GUWAHATI: Monju, Nilutpal and Suraj were all smiles as they waved at their relatives and friends when the second special Guwahati-Bangalore train chugged out of the station sharply at 1.20 pm on Saturday. In contrast to the near-empty coaches of the first special train that carried only a few hundred back to the southern city on September 1, the second one was crowded with over a thousand passengers.

"This train has 24 coaches, including 18 sleepers and four general compartments. A total of 338 births were reserved in the sleeper class for passengers from Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, and Bongaigaon stations. Another 436 general tickets were also sold in the train," said A M Thakur, senior station manager of Guwahati railway station.

The Guwahati railway station alone booked 668 tickets out of 774 reservations. Apart from this, the state government exodus helpline ticket confirmation list registered 41 tickets for the second train. "Though the state government reimbursed those who produced their tickets at the help desk, many are traveling without tickets. However, we have checked valid documents or identity cards for those who could not book tickets," said a government railway police official.

Three makeshift help desks were installed at the Guwahati railway station by the Kamrup (Metro) district administration to guide the passengers. Heavy rush was seen at the help desks for passengers from Udalguri, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Bokakhat and Darrang districts.

"We fled from Bangalore about three weeks ago when there were talks about a possible attack on the people of NE states. Though we personally did not experience anything, we were too scared and came back," said Monju, who has been working at a beauty parlour in Bangalore for the last four years.

However, a sense of security was felt among those who returned today. "My boss has called me several times and he wants me to return. He has even promised me to pay for the days when I was not on duty. I guess we all were victims of rumours and now I want to go back as soon as possible," smiled Bikram Chetry, who works as a head cook at an Italian restaurant in Bangalore.

To provide security to all passengers, the second special train had two coaches with GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel. The train will reach Bangalore on September 10.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi's son, Gaurav, who recently joined Congress, was seen distributing food among the passengers. AGP legislator Padma Hazarika also provided special bus services and booked tickets for some 300 exodus victims. Besides, members of various NGOs were also seen busy distributing water bottles and biscuit packets among the passengers. Northeast Sikh Foundation members also served food to many of them.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, in a statement, announced to provide a third special train to NE natives who fled Bangalore and Chennai. "Free tickets will be available for people who fled from Bangalore and Chennai. To avail the facility, people are requested to contact their respective DC's office within September 13. The train will leave on September 20," the statement added.